Residential construction
- Friday January 22nd, 2016
- Posted by: Website Management
- Category: Construction
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The most popular method of residential construction in North America is wood-framed construction. Typical construction steps for a single-family or small multi-family house are:
- Obtain an engineered soil test of lot where construction is planned
- Develop floor plans and obtain a materials list for estimations (more recently performed with estimating software)
- Obtain structural engineered plans for foundation (soil test report obtained earlier will be used by engineer to design foundation), floor plan, floor (if two story).
- Obtain lot survey
- Obtain government building approval if necessary
- If required obtain approval from HOA (homeowners association) or ARC (architectural review committee)
- Clear the building site (demolition of existing home if necessary)
- Survey to stake out for the foundation
- Excavate the foundation and dig footers (Scope of work is dependent of foundation designed by engineer)
- Install plumbing grounds
- Pour a foundation and footers with concrete
- Build the main load-bearing structure out of thick pieces of wood and possibly metal I-beams for large spans with few supports. See framing (construction)
- Add floor and ceiling joists and install subfloor panels
- Cover outer walls and roof in OSB or plywood and a water-resistive barrier.
- Install roof shingles or other covering for flat roof
- Cover the walls with siding, typically vinyl, wood, or brick veneer but possibly stone or other materials
- Install windows
- Frame interior walls with wooden 2x4s
- Add internal plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and natural gas utilities
- Building inspector visits if necessary to approve utilities and framing
- Install insulation and interior drywall panels (cementboard for wet areas) and to complete walls and ceilings
- Install bathroom fixtures
- Spackle, prime, and paint interior walls and ceilings
- Additional tiling on top of cementboard for wet areas, such as the bathroom and kitchen backsplash
- Install final floor covering, such as floor tile, carpet, or wood flooring
- Install major appliances
- Unless the original owners are building the house, at this point it is typically sold or rented